Is boastful Vince Cable 'ready for a new challenge'?

As the groping allegations surrounding Liberal Democrat ex-chief executive Lord Rennard threaten to engulf Nick Clegg’s leadership, business secretary Vince Cable is regarded as having a decent crisis. He addressed a group of business leaders in Westminster on Tuesday evening, where a source present says he spent time boasting how long he had held on to his job. ‘He made it sound like he was ready for a new challenge, should the Deputy PM job come up,’ I’m told. He praised every Liberal Democrat minister except equalities spokesman Jo Swinson. Adds my source: ‘Jo’s married to Clegg’s bag carrier Duncan Hames and viewed as a Clegg cuckoo in the Cable nest. No love lost there.’

Ready for a new challenge? Vince Cable is regarded as having a decent crisis

In the soup for playing down the Lord Rennard scandal (‘It’s hardly Jimmy Savile’) Liberal Democrat candidate Jasper Gerard stands accused of playing down his poshness. Colleagues at Durham University remember him as Jasper Gerard-Sharp. Once he secured the post of head of the university’s Lib Dem society he morphed into plain Jasper Sharp. But by the time he arrived at The Times as a trainee journalist, he reverted to Jasper Gerard. Keep up at the back!

Former Doctor Who actor David Tennant says of his latest role, an unnamed voiceover part in the forthcoming Postman Pat movie: ‘I’m as happy doing Postman Pat as I am doing Hamlet. They both have challenges and they both have delights. You’re just trying to do your best for the audience.’ Tennant, 41, played the Dane in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s well received production in 2008. Perhaps sometimes in life it’s necessary to take a step back to move forward.

Conservative Health Minister Anna Soubry wants an end to smoking in cars when children are present. Might her previous role as PPS to transport minister Simon Burns have sparked her concern? Explains a colleague: ‘Burns is a 50 fags a day man – poor Anna has had to endure many a fug-filled car journey with him.’

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic, is said to be disappointed that Pope Benedict XVI chose to publicise his resignation this week amidst allegations of sexual impropriety, rather than waiting for his 75th birthday next month. O’Brien was thrilled when the pontiff chose to stay at his palatial, copper-roofed residence in Edinburgh during his UK visit in 2010. ‘Keith had all the lavatories redecorated especially and the windows fitted with frosted glass to deter the paparazzi,’ says my source.

The Paul Foot Awards – which honoured my colleague Stephen Wright for his work on this paper’s campaign to bring Stephen Lawrence’s killers to justice – were wittily compered by Private Eye editor Ian Hislop. Colleagues now wonder whether Hislop’s talents are best suited to his lucrative TV work and if he maintains the zeal for editing the 50-year-old magazine. Founder Richard Ingrams, who appointed Hislop in 1986, says: ‘Circulation is high and the magazine is doing well, so Ian should really have a successor in mind. Like Pope Benedict I think it’s probably time for him to retire.’